The Little Colonel's House Party

re thrust through a narrow opening for her to examine. Mrs. Sherman sat beside her, so neither of them saw the amused

in that way; but I shall have to draw on my imagination for your future fortunes." This she did in such a bright am

lf afraid. She wondered what secrets it would tell Miss Allison, who, in addition to all the pleasant, complimentary things she had told, had added some very plain

wn and hardened by work it was. "Too sensitive and too imaginative by far," she said. "But I like this little hand. It will al

interesting happenings as if she had Aladdin's wonderful lamp to use as she chose. She looked at her hand with a new interest after she had with

lolled in an open window, listening, and beating time with both feet. Mrs. Sherman and Miss Allison were down a

t her hands again, as they lay spread out on her lap, and

least the part about being too sensitive and imaginative is true, I know. Cousin Hetty says I go about with my head in the clouds half the time. I would love to think that the other part is true, too. She said it in such a

ing us these, and expecting us to live up to them." He touched a little badge on the lapel of his coat, a

iously. "I have been wondering why y

r of a blameless life,' It began one time when we were out at grandmother's all winter. We gave a benefit for a little tramp, who cam

gerly. "I've seen your picture take

is Round Table, and gave us the motto: 'Live pure, speak tru

little couple on the steps. And the music, and the moonlight, and Betty's sympathetic little face, made it easy for Keith to grow confidential just then, and speak of things that usually make boys shy. He told her of his amb

y the boy's words, and discontented with her own small sphere. How manly he looke

Aunt Allison. You seem to understand in the same way that she does. I believe you'd have made a good knight yourself

, and things they had done, and places they had been. Next morning in her "Good times" book, Betty carefully wrote every word she coul

door, followed by Eliot with an armful of wraps, which might be needed later in the evening. Every spare inch of the carriage was packed with things for the picnic. A huge lunch hamper stood on the front seat beside the coac

ooking up at the second story windows. "Can I trust one of

indows, and two voices called in the same breath, one answer

out way to the Ross place, to get some berries I engaged for the picnic. It is very important that the letter sho

s, already saddled and bridled, were waiting in front of the house. The girls were to ride by the MacIntyre place and escort Miss Allison's carriage to

d through the house. "It will nevah do to keep Miss Allison waitin'! Come on!" she exclaimed,

hrieked Joyce,

darting ahead of them both,

oking back with a laugh as she began to untie Calico. Eugenia switched he

led out, tantalisingly, "The last one through the gate is a jibbering ornithorhynchus!" In her zeal not to be dubbed such a title for the rest of the day as a jibbering orn

a narrow pasture lot, then up a little hill and into a cool beech woods, where the peace of the summer reigned un

considering the number of generations it had watched them come and go. Nobody could tell how long it had been since the mill wheel turned its last round and the miller ground his last grist

own underneath. Eugenia seated herself on a rock near by, to watch him. Keith and Rob, and the other boys who had been invited to the picnic, busied themselves by dragging up sticks and log

rs with what the girls called a "young ladified air," and tur

you are going to cut

lcolm, digging aw

well enough. There's only one

lm, loftily. "I know plenty of names that I wou

this tree?" she asked, pointing to a rude ca

art around them

ough it," she said, meaningly. "At any rate, a silver arrow. Oh, maybe yo

personal way about his friendship for the Little Colonel. She would never have done such a thing, he felt quite sure. For a moment he half wished that it was Lloyd sitting on the rock beside him, but Eugenia could be v

l L appeared under Malcolm's initials. "I knew you just

her face, as he outlined an F next to it. It would be something to tell Mollie and Fay and Kell next time she wrote, that the handsomest boy in Kentucky (a

ashes, and then looked down with a blush. He added the he

y hand), the game of "I spy" went on uproariously behind the columbine rock. The bonfire blazed higher and higher. It lighted the cool depths of the darkenin

eared away. Miss Allison arranged them. The actors were all little negroes, the fun

ved. When I discovered what heathen they were, I turned missionary and taught them an hour every Sunday afternoon. They will do anything for me now, and are su

ls and rugs in front. "This is to be a guessing contest," she explained, as she passed a card and pencil to each guest. "There must be no talking, and no comparing n

vourite book," she announced. "It consists of two words. The first word is in

and an old carpet-bag. He was evidently intended to represent a lonely traveller, for, as he sauntered along in front of the audience, two other boys of the Gibbs family sprang out of the bushes in the background, with white cloth masks over their faces. One carried a dark lantern and the othe

nd any one looking over the shoulders of the group would have seen several cards which bore the same word, but more whi

aper. Doors and windows had been roughly outlined in charcoal. In front, a swinging sign-bo

word, now, but the majority of the children sat with their pencils in their mouths,

crew of little pickaninnies, seated in an old skiff which had been dragged up from the mill stream for

in which plaintive mews floated up from the rocks and the Gibbs family were taken sic

xt word. In the first act 'Tildy Gibbs came out with an envelope in her hands, and all of a sudden Betty's heart gave a gu

oss the semicircle, where Eugenia sat serenely unconscious of forgotten promises. "Sh

trust you, and she said it was important. You know you promised. There's

son's voice saying, "I like this little hand. It will keep a promise to the utmost." Then Keith's conversation of the night before came back to h

and she wanted it-oh, how she wanted it!-for Mrs. Sherman had said that it was a book. And yet-her sacred promise! If she kept it, she would lose her only chance. It was twilight in the woods, and it would be dark before she could get back to the picnic-gr

then sank back before she could make up her mind. Finally she walked over to a fence corner on the other side of the bonfire, where the water-bucket stood. The ponies were hitched below in the ravine. So intently was the group above watching the cha

pasture, and through the gate, glad that she did not have to go all the way in darkness. Lad, knowing that he was going home, d

She was riding faster than she had ever ridden before, and yet it seemed hours since she had lef

and ran out again, only pausing for a hasty glance at the clock. Mom Beck, who had heard the clatter of hoofs, the

?" she called, but Betty was far down th

run now, and Betty could hear the train whistlin

good old Lad, please hurry! I'm so

he train whistled nearer. Guiding the pony to the fence,

l pleadings, Lad broke into a run and brought up at the post-office, just as the postmistress was locking the mail-bag. "Oh, Miss Mattie!" sounde

arely time to stamp it and slip it in, so!" She acted while she spoke, so that with the last word she had turned the key. A coloured porter, who stood waiting,

hankfulness. "Well," she exclaimed to Lad, in a relieved tone, "that's done! We're too

lds. She could not remember which way to turn. The first time she passed that way she had paid no attention to direction, but had followed heedlessly after Lloyd. The second time

But she had taken the wrong way. She went on and on, wondering why she did not come to a gate, when the road suddenly

m of the twilight, and bullbats were circling overhead, dip

avage-eyed dog skulked at his heels. Betty nearly screamed in her terror at this sudden appearance. She knew at a glance that the fellow must be "Limping Tige," one of the worst charac

a weakness numbed her trembling hands t

flying back over the road he had come, at the top of his speed. Now every bush and every tree and every brier-t

htened that her heart almost stopped beating. The next glance showed her that it was some one coming toward her on horseback, and then a cheery whis

e over, and, finding her pony gone too, thought that she must have been taken suddenly

did not take long for him to learn the whole story of her lonely ride, and the fright she had had, for his questions were fired with such directness of aim that truthful Betty could not dodge them. "And you m

hat pretty pluc

asn't anything else to do. It was a sacred promis

hen as the bonfire at the old mill flared into sight, Keith l

gleam of admiration in hi